IIA 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. J. RES. 15 

To acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies 

by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer 

an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 19, 2005 

Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. DORGAN, and Mr. DODD) introduced the 

following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

To acknowledge a long history of official depredations and 

ill-conceived policies by the United States Government 

regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native 

Peoples on behalf of the United States. 

Whereas the ancestors of today’s Native Peoples inhabited 

the land of the present-day United States since time immemorial and for thousands of years before the arrival of 

peoples of European descent; 

Whereas the Native Peoples have for millennia honored, protected, and stewarded this land we cherish; 

Whereas the Native Peoples are spiritual peoples with a deep 

and abiding belief in the Creator, and for millennia their 

peoples have maintained a powerful spiritual connection 
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to this land, as is evidenced by their customs and legends; 

Whereas the arrival of Europeans in North America opened 

a new chapter in the histories of the Native Peoples; 

Whereas, while establishment of permanent European settlements in North America did stir conflict with nearby Indian tribes, peaceful and mutually beneficial interactions 

also took place; 

Whereas the foundational English settlements in Jamestown, 

Virginia, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, owed their survival in large measure to the compassion and aid of the 

Native Peoples in their vicinities; 

Whereas in the infancy of the United States, the founders of 

the Republic expressed their desire for a just relationship 

with the Indian tribes, as evidenced by the Northwest Ordinance enacted by Congress in 1787, which begins with 

the phrase, ‘‘The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians’’; 

Whereas Indian tribes provided great assistance to the fledgling Republic as it strengthened and grew, including invaluable help to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on 

their epic journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific 

Coast; 

Whereas Native Peoples and non-Native settlers engaged in 

numerous armed conflicts; 

Whereas the United States Government violated many of the 

treaties ratified by Congress and other diplomatic agreements with Indian tribes; 

Whereas this Nation should address the broken treaties and 

many of the more ill-conceived Federal policies that followed, such as extermination, termination, forced removal 
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and relocation, the outlawing of traditional religions, and 

the destruction of sacred places; 

Whereas the United States forced Indian tribes and their citizens to move away from their traditional homelands and 

onto federally established and controlled reservations, in 

accordance with such Acts as the Indian Removal Act of 

1830; 

Whereas many Native Peoples suffered and perished— 

(1) during the execution of the official United States 

Government policy of forced removal, including the infamous Trail of Tears and Long Walk; 

(2) during bloody armed confrontations and massacres, such as the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 and the 

Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890; and 

(3) on numerous Indian reservations; 

Whereas the United States Government condemned the traditions, beliefs, and customs of the Native Peoples and endeavored to assimilate them by such policies as the redistribution of land under the General Allotment Act of 

1887 and the forcible removal of Native children from 

their families to faraway boarding schools where their 

Native practices and languages were degraded and forbidden; 

Whereas officials of the United States Government and private United States citizens harmed Native Peoples by the 

unlawful acquisition of recognized tribal land and the 

theft of tribal resources and assets from recognized tribal 

land; 

Whereas the policies of the United States Government toward 

Indian tribes and the breaking of covenants with Indian 
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tribes have contributed to the severe social ills and economic troubles in many Native communities today; 

Whereas, despite the wrongs committed against Native Peoples by the United States, the Native Peoples have remained committed to the protection of this great land, as 

evidenced by the fact that, on a per capita basis, more 

Native people have served in the United States Armed 

Forces and placed themselves in harm’s way in defense 

of the United States in every major military conflict than 

any other ethnic group; 

Whereas Indian tribes have actively influenced the public life 

of the United States by continued cooperation with Congress and the Department of the Interior, through the involvement of Native individuals in official United States 

Government positions, and by leadership of their own 

sovereign Indian tribes; 

Whereas Indian tribes are resilient and determined to preserve, develop, and transmit to future generations their 

unique cultural identities; 

Whereas the National Museum of the American Indian was 

established within the Smithsonian Institution as a living 

memorial to the Native Peoples and their traditions; and 

Whereas Native Peoples are endowed by their Creator with 

certain unalienable rights, and that among those are life, 

liberty, and the pursuit of happiness: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND APOLOGY. 

4 The United States, acting through Congress— 
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1 (1) recognizes the special legal and political re2 lationship the Indian tribes have with the United 

3 States and the solemn covenant with the land we 

4 share; 

5 (2) commends and honors the Native Peoples 

6 for the thousands of years that they have stewarded 

7 and protected this land; 

8 (3) recognizes that there have been years of of9 ficial depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the 

10 breaking of covenants by the United States Govern11 ment regarding Indian tribes; 

12 (4) apologizes on behalf of the people of the 

13 United States to all Native Peoples for the many in14 stances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect in15 flicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United 

16 States; 

17 (5) expresses its regret for the ramifications of 

18 former wrongs and its commitment to build on the 

19 positive relationships of the past and present to 

20 move toward a brighter future where all the people 

21 of this land live reconciled as brothers and sisters, 

22 and harmoniously steward and protect this land to23 gether; 

24 (6) urges the President to acknowledge the 

25 wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in 
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1 the history of the United States in order to bring 

2 healing to this land by providing a proper foundation 

3 for reconciliation between the United States and In4 dian tribes; and 

5 (7) commends the State governments that have 

6 begun reconciliation efforts with recognized Indian 

7 tribes located in their boundaries and encourages all 

8 State governments similarly to work toward recon9 ciling relationships with Indian tribes within their 

10 boundaries. 

11 SEC. 2. DISCLAIMER. 

12 Nothing in this Joint Resolution— 

13 (1) authorizes or supports any claim against 

14 the United States; or 

15 (2) serves as a settlement of any claim against 

16 the United States. 

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